CHAPTER 386: THE UNBROKEN SILENCE

I stood in the parking lot, processing Derek’s testimony while the pieces of the conspiracy fell into place with disturbing clarity. The more I thought about Frank’s role in the assassination plot, the more sense it made from a tactical perspective.

"You know," I said to Anthony, "Your assessment of Frank being the fourth assassin actually connects everything perfectly. If he actually is injured like Derek said then that would easily fit the bill of our suspect. A security guard would have combat-related training and experience, which would explain how he was capable enough to participate in killing someone with Damon’s skills."

Anthony nodded, following my reasoning. "And Frank’s position would have given him access to areas of the school that regular faculty members couldn’t reach without drawing attention. He could move through the building freely, plant evidence, and coordinate the timing of Derek’s arrest without anyone questioning his presence."

"More importantly," I continued, thinking through the tactical implications, "Damon would never have expected a security guard to be part of the assassination team. Frank could have approached him under the guise of routine security business or offering assistance, giving the other assassins the element of surprise they needed to corner him in that maintenance closet."

The psychological aspect of the ambush was particularly disturbing. Damon had been an experienced operative who understood the dangers of his mission, but he would have naturally trusted the school’s own security personnel. Frank’s betrayal would have been completely unexpected, explaining the "surprised" message that Damon had tried to write with his dying breath.

"So we have our four assassins," Anthony said, mentally cataloging our targets. "Ken Ross, Thomas Chen, Ms. Patterson, and Frank. All of them should be carrying knife wounds from their fight with Damon, all of them maintaining their cover identities while participating in a conspiracy to kill an international political figure."

I felt a grim satisfaction at finally understanding the complete scope of the threat we were facing. The Event Quest objectives were becoming clearer: identify and capture all assassins, determine what happened to Damon Trev, and survive whatever final confrontation was approaching.

"What we need to do now is survive whatever attack they’re planning and then capture all four of them simultaneously," I said, thinking about the tactical coordination that would be required. "We can’t risk letting any of them escape while we’re arresting the others."

Anthony was already pulling up communication channels on his tablet, preparing to coordinate with the federal agents who were conducting their own investigation inside the school building.

"I need to group up some respectable and trustworthy individuals from the various agencies," he said, scrolling through personnel files and clearance levels. "We need people who can move quickly and decisively when we give the signal to strike."

We walked back toward the command posts that had been established around the parking lot, where representatives from FBI, CIA, RCMP, and CSIS were coordinating their various jurisdictional responsibilities. Anthony’s security clearance allowed him to request specific personnel for what he described as a critical tactical operation related to the Event Quest objectives.

Within minutes, we had assembled a small group of experienced agents who had been briefed on the sensitive nature of our mission. The team included two FBI special agents with expertise in coordinated arrests, a CSIS operative with extensive experience in counter-terrorism operations, and an RCMP sergeant who specialized in tactical planning and execution.

Anthony presented our findings with the concise professionalism that came from years of intelligence work. He explained about the four identified assassins, the evidence we had discovered about Damon’s murder, and the physical markers that would allow us to confirm their identities through observation of their knife wounds.

"The three we’ve already identified through their System, behavioral analysis and their voice are Ken Ross, Thomas Chen, and Ms. Patterson," Anthony said, showing the assembled agents photographs and personnel files for each target. "The fourth is Frank Morrison, one of the school’s security guards, who was instrumental in framing Derek Mitchell for the assassination attempt."

The agents listened with the focused attention of professionals who understood the serious implications of what we had uncovered. Their questions were sharp and tactical, focused on timing, positioning, and coordination challenges.

"What’s our action plan?" asked Agent Martinez from the FBI, her voice carrying the authority of someone who had conducted numerous high-stakes arrests.

"We need confirmation that Frank is indeed carrying the knife wounds that would prove his participation in Agent Trev’s murder," Anthony replied. "Once we have visual confirmation of his injuries, we can move to arrest all four conspirators simultaneously."

I held up a hand to interrupt the tactical planning. "Wait. We need to be absolutely certain about Frank before we commit to this operation. If we’re wrong about his identity as the fourth assassin, we could end up compromising the entire mission and allowing the real conspirator to escape."

The assembled agents nodded in understanding. Premature action based on incomplete intelligence could be catastrophic in a situation involving multiple international agencies and high-level political implications.

"I suggest we send small teams inside to get close enough to Frank to observe any visible injuries," I continued. "If Derek’s assessment is correct and Frank is moving carefully due to knife wounds, we should be able to confirm it without alerting him to our suspicions."

Agent Martinez was already organizing the reconnaissance mission on her communication device. "We can position teams near the security office and main administrative areas where Frank would be conducting his normal duties. Visual confirmation of injuries consistent with knife wounds should be sufficient to proceed with arrests."

The CSIS operative, who had introduced himself as Agent Thompson, raised a tactical concern. "What about the timing of the arrests? These people have demonstrated sophisticated coordination. If we move on one of them and the others realize what’s happening, they might scatter or attempt to eliminate evidence."

"That’s why we need simultaneous arrests," Anthony replied. "All four targets need to be taken into custody at exactly the same time, with no opportunity for communication between them or coordination of any escape attempts."

We spent several more minutes refining the tactical details, establishing communication protocols, and coordinating timing sequences that would ensure maximum effectiveness while minimizing the risk of the assassins escaping or causing harm to innocent bystanders.

Once the planning was complete, the agents prepared to enter the school building and conduct their reconnaissance mission. Their objective was simple: get close enough to Frank Morrison to observe whether he was carrying visible knife wounds that would confirm his participation in Damon’s murder.

"Reynard and I will remain outside," Anthony announced as the teams prepared to move. "There’s no tactical reason for him to be in the building now that our investigative phase is complete, and keeping him away from the potential confrontation zone reduces the risk of the assassination team making a desperate attack."

I appreciated Anthony’s caution, even though part of me wanted to be directly involved in confirming Frank’s identity as the fourth assassin. The Event Quest’s "survive" objective suggested that I was still in significant danger, and remaining outside the school building where the conspirators were located seemed like the prudent tactical choice.

The reconnaissance teams entered the school building with the careful coordination of professionals who understood the high stakes of their mission. Anthony and I found positions near the command posts where we could monitor their communications while maintaining safe distance from any potential confrontation.

The first thirty minutes passed with regular check-ins from both teams. They reported normal activity levels inside the school, with the federal investigation proceeding according to standard protocols while the assassination suspects continued to maintain their cover identities.

"Team Alpha has visual on target Frank Morrison," came the voice of Agent Martinez through Anthony’s communication device. "He’s conducting routine security rounds, but we need a closer look to assess potential injuries."

"Team Beta has confirmed locations of targets Ken Ross and Thomas Chen," reported another voice. "Both are participating in witness interviews with federal investigators. No obvious signs of injury visible from current distance."

The coordination was proceeding exactly as planned, with our reconnaissance teams positioning themselves to gather the final piece of intelligence we needed to confirm our theory about the fourth assassin’s identity.

But as we approached the forty-minute mark of the operation, something changed in the communication patterns.

"Team Alpha, please report status," Anthony said into his communication device.

Silence.

"Team Alpha, respond immediately."

More silence.

Anthony’s expression shifted from professional concern to genuine alarm as he tried multiple communication frequencies and emergency protocols.

"Team Beta, what is your current status and location?"

"Team Beta here. We’ve lost contact with Team Alpha. They were moving toward the security office area when their last transmission cut off."

The implications of this development were immediately clear and deeply troubling. One of our reconnaissance teams had stopped responding while conducting surveillance of Frank, the suspected fourth assassin.

Anthony looked at me with the grim realization that our careful tactical planning had just encountered a significant and dangerous complication.